B
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals checked most of the boxes and earned a B.
by mattwhof ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 0 steals
· 2 reaches
For all the boxes ticked, the Cardinals skipped the loudest one: quarterback is exactly as bare as it was.
The Ratledge reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade. Job largely done: wide receiver settled and 6 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.
All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 3 they get a matchup problem out wide. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Amarius Mims in the 17th pick is fair value, right on his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kris Abrams-Draine at No. 35 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They went early on Jack Sawyer in Round 3, Pick 3, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Blake Corum in the Round 3 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They took Ruke Orhorhoro at par in the 81st overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A reach for Tate Ratledge in pick No. 103; a little patience would have been rewarded. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good price on Smael Mondon Jr. in pick 133, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.